When Shadows Call
by Lothielan
Summary: Poisoned by a mysterious creature offworld, Sam struggles to remember reality as an alien entity attempts to take control of her mind.


A/N: This isn't my first fic, but it is the first I've shared like this. I'd appreciate any and all comments. It's mostly PG-13.

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It was pouring. Thick sheets of water dumped down from black clouds, drenching the ground and the four teammates who struggled through the muck. At the group's center, Sam clung to Daniel's arm, wincing as she tried to keep her weight off her injured leg. It proved, however, to be impossible to keep her wound from throbbing with every step. She could only grit her teeth and keep going.

Sam could barely see Teal'c's broad back ahead through the rain. He had paused, the butt of his staff weapon resting firmly on the ground. Daniel and Sam made their way slowly towards him while Jack jogged up to join the Jaffa.

The planet had proved to be nothing more than a curse almost from the moment the team had arrived. First there had been the bugs. An annoyance at first, but the swarms had worsened the closer the team had gotten to the settlement. Then the bugs were joined by winged scorpion-like creatures that covered the four in stinging, itching welts. Colonel O'Neill had called a retreat, and the team had fled back towards the Stargate.

And then the rain had started. The water did little to soothe their sorrows, and quickly turned the dusty trail into slime. As the morning ended, the torrent doubled. Several miles from the Stargate, Sam had slid on the path and tumbled into a ravine. Now, hours later, her ankle was swollen and purple. A muddy bandage swathed a deep cut on her calf. Her head throbbed and she had to blink often to clear her vision.

A stone rolled beneath her good foot and she went down again, bruising her elbow on the ground. She groaned as Daniel hefted her up. He pulled her right arm over his shoulders and slid his other arm around her waist. "Almost there, Sam."

She clenched her teeth and nodded. If she guessed right, they were only about another half hour from the Stargate. If not for her injury, they would have been home by now.

The pair pulled up beside Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill.

"What is it?" Daniel asked.

"Shh," the Colonel urged, waving his left hand at them in a _down_ motion.

When Daniel didn't move, Sam grabbed his jacket with her left hand and sunk towards the ground. "Stay down," she whispered over the rain. Freeing herself from his hands, she grabbed for her gun and wrapped her fingers around the grip.

Seated awkwardly in the center of the trail, the two's position offered little strategic gain. Sam couldn't see over the bushes and rocks at the sides, and there was absolutely no defense. She waved at Daniel, pointing him towards a boulder near Colonel O'Neill's feet. She scooted on her belly, wincing as her leg protested. Pulling herself up, she leaned against a large rock and gazed out into the trees.

The light was fading fast. That coupled with the blinding rain made it nearly impossible to see. Sam knew they were vulnerable now, and while there had been little signs of Goa'uld or other hostile activity—besides the insects—this was still an unknown world. It could be hiding any sort of enemy.

She glanced at Teal'c to find his eyes on her. He dipped his head, then looked pointedly back into the trees. Sam followed his gaze. Nothing but—wait. What was that? It looked like a dark shape had detached from a nearby tree and slid across to hide behind another. Eyes 

narrowed, Sam focused on the place she thought she'd seen the shape, her hands opening and closing unconsciously on her gun.

There—something big and black slipped into sight for a split second before vanishing again in the darkness. Sam swallowed. Whatever it was, it didn't appear to act like a normal animal would. At least not one of the harmless variety. That thing was stalking them and Sam doubted it was just curious.

Turning, she caught Colonel O'Neill's attention. He left Teal'c's side and dropped to a knee beside her. "I saw something!" she hissed.

"Where?"

Sam pointed to the tree, and for a long moment they sat there waiting for any sign of movement. Though she didn't look back, Sam sensed Teal'c shifting his position, moving further to Sam's right, closer to Daniel.

Seconds drug into minutes.

Sam shivered. Her clothes were soaked and the rain was icy-cold. Both the cold and pain struggled to take away the concentration she so desperately needed. She couldn't afford to let down her guard just because she felt terrible. She had a job to do.

Taking a breath, she squashed her nerves and the pain and the cold and focused on that tree.

"JACK!"

Both officers whirled at Daniel's voice. Sam's heart skipped a beat at the sight of what stood between them and the archaeologist.

Somehow the creature had managed to slip unseen around behind the team. It stood tall on its rear legs, looking somewhat like a misshapen bear. Red eyes glinted above a long maw lined with silver teeth. Its features were lost in the shadow of its thick fur. It let out a deafening high-pitched shriek—their only warning before it charged.

Sam brought her gun up, releasing a barrage of bullets even as the creature batted Colonel O'Neill aside. She was barely aware of her own scream of terror and determination as the beast came on, undeterred by her hail of bullets. A second later, the weapon was wrenched from her grasp and a clawed hand closed around her throat. The creature shoved her back in the mud, hovering over her and pinning her tightly to the ground. She struggled wildly against it, scrabbling for the knife on her belt.

All she could see was black. The creature was like a giant shadow, monstrous and vicious. It pressed against her, growling and shrieking, its breath hot against her face. Sam could barely hear Teal'c's staff weapon and Daniel's handgun firing, but the creature didn't act as though it affected him. Had it not been for Sam's training, she would have panicked.

Her fingers closed around the handle of her knife, and she jerked it free. Her first slash glanced off the beast's thick hide and the knife fell from her hand. The creature roared and jerked back, tightening its grip on her throat. She thought it might kill her now.

But then the grip loosened enough she could breathe. It was hardly a relief, however. As the hand moved aside, the creature dug its claws deep into her skin. She cried out in pain, pawing for her knife. Her hand found it and she stabbed it into the beast again. This time the blade found a weak spot in the thick skin and it dug deep, sliding between flesh and bone. She bore down hard, twisting the weapon with all her strength. Blood gushed from the wound, spilling over Sam's chest. The monster jerked back, settling its weight on Sam's thighs, tearing the knife from her hand once more. It stared at her, glowing eyes wide, then let out a piercing shriek and drove its hand into her gut, just beneath her ribs. Sam cried out in agony, blackness swirling in her vision. The weight lifted and she sluggishly realized the creature had fled.

"Sam!"

Sparks danced across the dark sky. She blinked as raindrops landed in her eyes.

"Sam!"

Hands touched her face. She blinked again, struggling to focus.

"Hey, Sam. Can you hear me?"

Daniel. He was worried. Sam tried to smile. _It's okay. It doesn't hurt. _

She thought she'd said it out loud, but the look on Daniel's face didn't change. He glanced over his shoulder, lips moving as he shouted something Sam couldn't hear. She tried to say something again, but the blackness was getting thicker and the numbness was spreading. Allowing her eyes to slide shut, Sam slid into blissful unawareness.


End file.
